An Assessment of Social Media Platforms in Digital Marketing

Abstract:

The objective of this study was to determine how social media platforms affect digital marketing in an organization. The study was guided by three specific objectives which sought to determine the use of social media platforms in digital marketing, to determine the effects of social media platforms in digital marketing and to determine the challenges facing digital marketing using social media platforms.
This research used descriptive research design and the target population was made up of 148 employees who work at Commercial Bank of Africa. This study adopted a stratified and simple random sampling techniques and a sample size of 108 respondents was arrived at. The statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 was utilized to analyze data for descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive data was analyzed for mean and standard deviation, while inferential statistics was done using correlations analysis the findings were presented in tables and figures.
The study established that the organization uses social media platforms to advertise online. The finding also revealed that digital Marketing is considered as a form of advertising in the organization. It was also established that viral marketing can positively or negatively affect my organizations brand and search engine marketing enables organization to target their customers better than traditional marketing. The finding also revealed that social media marketing influences brand awareness.
The findings show that brand loyalty is positively affected when the brands offer advantageous campaigns on social media. It was also established that online customer experience influences brand loyalty which increases sales. A review of the variables of brand equity established that high brand equity is an important asset to an organization because it increases consumer preference and purchase intentions.
The study sought to analyze the challenges facing digital marketing using social media platforms and it was revealed that use of digital marketing has enabled the organization to develop new marketing strategies to market their products and services. At the same time organizations are expanding their marketing efforts and fulfilling customer needs through digital marketing. Majority agreed that digital strategies face challenges such as cybercrime and Identity theft and IT training is important for digital marketers to be familiar with cybercrimes. At the same time findings revealed that organizations should constantly post content on social media to gain competitive advantage.
The study concluded that utilization of such search engine marketing enables Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) to target their customers better than traditional marketing, this has aided the organization to build on customer relationships and increase share. Secondly, social media allows businesses to communicate quickly and cheaply with customers. Social media platforms have benefited from the rapid adoption of mobile technology through increased Brand loyalty and increased sales performance. Lastly, marketers now have access to more information about their customers through digital marketing, hence high chances of innovative ideas. CBA measure marketing campaigns evaluate and audit online content for quality purpose. Having the right skill and competence enable firms take full advantage of the evolving technology.
It was recommended that Commercial Bank of Africa should continue using social media platforms to advertise online and to maximize the benefits, the adverts should be customized as per that target customers’ needs and wants, and there is a need to introduce loyalty programs and frequency reward programs in order to retain customers. Secondly, Commercial Bank of Africa should strive to communicate with its target customers and researching customer behavioral patterns. The communication should fulfill the requirements of users of the platforms in general. Campaigns on social media should be captivating to capture consumer attention hence influence brand loyalty and sales. Lastly, there is a need to therefore continuously measure campaigns, evaluate and audit online content for quality purpose. Whereas social media campaigns can easily be duplicated, and message altered there is a need for a regular audit and team members should constantly review the content on each partner’s website promoting a CBA brand, this is best done by proving for disclosures and ensuring that they’re presented as they should be.

Description:

A Research Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA)